How lucky am I? I have been writing this blog for just over a year and in that time I have had the great fortune of baking for my blog with three of my lovely nieces. Grace came all the way from Kentucky to spend this past week with me. When she arrived, I asked her to tell me the three top things she wanted to do while visiting California. Number two on the list was, “be on your blog”. I was completely flattered! Who remembers what number one was. Flattery aside, her desires may have been fueled by a bit of competition that arose following her cousin Chloe’s visit last summer. Regardless, I feel like the luckiest Aunt in the world to have nieces who want to visit me, and I am especially touched that they follow my blog.In between shopping, a day at Venice Beach, a quick day trip to Santa Barbara, and the requisite day at Disneyland, we managed to schedule in an afternoon of baking. Grace is a big fan of chocolate and so that is where the hunt began to find something fun and yummy to make together. We found our way to brownies, but with the choices in that classification quite vast, we continued our search for something unique within the category. I was quite intrigued with this recipe for Souffle Brownies, and likewise, Grace agreed that it sounded like an interesting recipe to try. Just like Chloe and Coco, Grace too is quite skilled in the kitchen. It warms my heart to know that the younger generation is embracing the skills and desire for the craft of baking. Watching Grace assemble the brownies was like a window into my own childhood. I baked at every opportunity, and the happiest of those memories are the ones when I was sharing the kitchen with my Dad. I’m hopeful that Grace and I created some long lasting memories as well.As for the Soufflé Brownies, they were as unique as I had anticipated. In all my many years of eating and baking brownies, I have never run across one just like these. The key to the success of this recipe is not over-baking them. When pulled from the oven at just the right time, the resulting brownie is fine-crumbed and densely chocolate, with a light fudgy top layer that mimics frosting. Grace is not a nut lover so these brownies suited her just fine. I however, missed the bite and added flavor of nuts. Next time I make these I will add a healthy dose of walnuts.

These brownies pack an intensely chocolate wallop so I suggest cutting them into small squares. This is the perfect brownie to serve warm with a scoop of ice cream on top.

Preheat the oven to 325˚F. Lightly grease a 9-inch square baking pan with butter or vegetable oil, or line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper.

Brownie: In a microwave safe bowl, heat the chocolate and butter in the microwave, using 30 second intervals and stirring in between each interval until the chocolate is melted. Let cool for 5 minutes.

Place the sugar in a medium-size mixing bowl and pour in the chocolate mixture. Using an electric mixer on medium speed, mix until well blended, about 25 seconds. Scrape the bowl with a rubber spatula. Add the vanilla. With the mixer on medium-low speed, add the eggs one at a time, blending after each addition until the yolk is broken and dispersed, about 10 seconds. Then scrape the bowl and blend until the mixture is velvety, about 15 seconds. Add the flour on low speed and mix for 20 – 30 seconds, scraping the bottom of the bowl and making sure to incorporate the flour completely. Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan. Set aside.

Topping: Heat the cream in a medium-size saucepan over low heat until hot. Add the chocolate and the chocolate chips, stir, and remove the pan from the heat. Cover the pan to melt the chocolate. Meanwhile, with the electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat the eggs and sugar together in a medium sized bowl until pale and foamy, about 3 minutes.

Stir the chocolate mixture with a whisk until smooth. Then add the chocolate mixture to the egg mixture and mix at medium-low speed until well blended. Pour the topping over the batter, and tip the pan gently from side to side so that it spreads evenly.

Bake the brownies on the center rack of the oven until the top is set, about 40 to 45 minutes. (It is difficult to know exactly when the brownies are done. Err on the side of baking for the lesser amount of time. Do not allow the center of the brownies to rise up higher than the edges.)

Remove the pan from the oven and place it on a rack to cool completely before cutting.

The brownies look devine, and your niece is adorable. I love the title of your blog, too, “Baking with Grace,” a beautiful play on words. By the way Mary, my new website is up (finally!) Take a look: juliemayersonbrown.com
See you soon!
xoxo
julie

That’s adorable how our nieces want to visit and bake with you. I hope one day I’ll have the same pleasure! These brownies sound amazing! I can already list at least 5 people I know who will love the intensity of these brownies.